Up close and personal. That’s exactly how attendees feel when viewing the Sybase Classic tournament. You can stand within a few feet of the practice green and watch Cristie Kerr go through her putting routine. Or you can catch a glimpse of Grace Park in the trap blasting shots out of the sand. Lady golfers are everywhere walking side-by-side with the crowd. It’s an exciting week all leading up to the Sunday crescendo. With a total purse of $1.2 million and a beautiful par-71, 6,161-yard country club course, it’s no wonder the tour pros come back year-after-year.
The site of the tournament, New Rochelle, is a lovely suburb just under a half hour from New York City. Situated within the confines of Westchester County you’ll find some of the finest golf courses in the country. From Winged Foot to Trump National, private courses abound.
I personally have had the good fortune to visit Wykagyl Country Club and to walk the course with Annika Sorenstam and Rosie Jones as a standard bearer during the Sybase “Big Apple” Classic. I have also played Wykagyl in the past and believe that trouble abounds here. Accuracy off the tee due to narrow fairways and safe approach shots are a necessity if you want to conquer this course.
Two-time winner Annika Sorenstam (1998 and 2000) took this week off after completely obliterating her nearest competitor at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. The good news for Annika fans is that LPGA rules require players in the top-90 to play an event at least once every four years. Since next year is Sorenstam’s fourth year without making an appearance at the Sybase, expect her to make an appearance in 2006.
Even without the number-one player in the world in the field, expect a good turnout of veterans as well as some up-and-coming stars on the LPGA Tour. Let’s take a look, shall we?
From 48-year old Beth Daniel, winner of 33 LPGA events and a golfer who hasn’t missed the cut this year to 18-year old Paula Creamer, the talent is varied this week. Creamer is a newcomer on tour but has already made $168,811 playing in LPGA events. Brittany Lincicome, 19 and another 2005 tour rookie, doesn’t have the stats of Creamer, has only made $26,582 on tour to date and jumped directly into the LPGA after an opening-round 66 in the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open.
23-year old Westchester native Meghan Francella will be making her debut this week due to a sponsor’s exemption. It will be interesting to see how she handles first round pressure playing in the big league.
In the beginning of the 2005 season the LPGA had sixteen players 22-years old and younger with six players still teenagers, not including Michelle Wie, who will not be attending the event. Many of these younger players don’t just sit on the sidelines, they contend each week. Junior golf programs on the rise throughout the country train young golfers early on to compete at a higher skill level making the transition to the LPGA tour seamless.
Veterans playing with rookies can be challenging due to the unavoidable “generation gap”.” Swedish “Mommy-on-Tour” Carin Koch, winner of the Corona Morelia Tournament several weeks ago, recently played with 18-year old Paula Creamer and was at a loss for words. “What do you say to an 18-year old? Last week I was paired with Paula Creamer and I was like, what do I talk about?” The disparity between the young up-and-coming teens and collegiates and the veterans who aren’t ready to lay down their clubs is growing, especially among the Americans.
Two-time winner at the Sybase and defending champion 43-year old Sherri Steinhauer has been a member of the LPGA for almost twenty years. With eight starts this season, she has missed the cut on three occasions with her best finish coming at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she tied for 23rd. Her steady golf at last year’s Sybase led her to a two-stroke victory over veteran Grace Park. Steinhauer had gone without a victory in 117 tournaments, with her last win coming at the 1999 Weetabix British Open. She finished the 2004 season with only $35,974 in earnings.
Veterans in the field this week include Karrie Webb, Cristie Kerr, Grace Park, Meg Mallon, Beth Daniel and Michele Redman (winner 1997). Rookies playing this week include Paula Creamer, Meaghan Francella, Natalie Gulbis, Hee-Won Han (2003 winner), Gloria Park (2002 winner) and Christina Kim.
Will the LPGA Tour veterans challenge the wet-behind-the-ears rookies? Or will the youngsters teach their elders a lesson about scoring low? Stay tuned this week and find out if seniors or freshmen rule!
ESPN2 delivers the golf this week with the following schedule: May 19 2:00-4:00pm, May 20 1:30-3:30pm, May 21 2:00-4:00pm, and May 22 3:00-5:00pm. All times ET.
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